Ch. 3: Signed

Leonhardt Dietrich's point of view

“Settle down or lose your inheritance.”

Those were the exact words my father spat as he tossed a crystal glass across the room. Scotch stained the Persian rug. My mother stood behind him, her arms folded, face blank, at 'yung kaliwang mata niya, kumikibot. Palatandaan 'yon ng inis niya na hindi niya na kayang itago.

“This isn’t a fucking request,” she added, cold as ever. “You’re not a child anymore, Leonhardt. The Board wants security and stability. Not a heartbroken heir with a knife for a smile.”

Heartbroken? Damn it. Wala silang alam.

My jaw tensed. “So, ganito na lang? Emotional blackmail para lang manatili ako sa business?”

“Don’t flatter yourself. There’s nothing emotional about it,” My father snapped. “You either marry someone who doesn’t destroy our reputation, or you walk away with nothing.”

At syempre, binanggit pa talaga nila si Ashley. Not literally, though. Yung ex na gusto nilang ibalik sa buhay ko. Destroy our reputation? My ass.

“Why not call Ashlie then?” I gritted. “She’s always been your favorite, ayt?”

My mother’s eyes narrowed. “You destroyed that bridge. Maybe it’s time you rebuilt it.”

Napatawa ako, pero walang tuwa sa tawa ko. Fix? Mas gugustuhin ko pang sunugin ang lahat ng 'to. Hindi nila alam ang buong kwento. Paano niya ako ginamit. Paano niya sinira ang tiwala ko. Yung mga salitang 'mahal kita' na sinundan ng pagsaksak sa likod.

“No,” I gritted my teeth with finality. “I’m done chasing ghosts.”

There was silence. So heavy. Judging my soul too. My father stared me down with the same eyes I inherited, cold, and unrelenting.

“So who then?” tanong niya pa. “Name someone. Dahil kung hindi, kami ang pipili para sa’yo.”

May sagot naman na ako. Hindi ko lang sinabi kaagad.

Ingrid Alessia Romano. Who else? Not because I wanted her. Hell, I didn’t even like her. But she was clean. Powerful and unattached. Cold enough to play the part. Emotionless enough not to get in my way. A ready contract. She's like a shield. A silent war truce with benefits. I’d take the cage if it meant staying in control.

HOURS LATER, I watched her name materialize beside mine on a marriage contract drafted by three of the best corporate lawyers in the country.

Hindi ko pa siya nakikita sa ngayon, pero alam ko na kung anong itsura ng reaction niya. Syempre magugulat at walang magagawa. Parang tinulak ko na rin siya sa bangin. She didn’t get to say yes. She didn’t have to. I already made the choice for both of us.

The night after the papers were delivered, I stood in my private study, the city glittering through floor-to-ceiling glass.

Dapat ba akong matuwa? Makaramdam ng tagumpay? Pero ang totoo, baka pagod lang talaga ako. The past crept in like poison. Pilit sumasagi sa isip ko si Ashlie. Yung halik niya. Yung mga kasinungalingang binulong niya habang yakap ako. Yung pagtataksil na dinisenyo niya habang nakangiti. She called it business. I called it hell. Now I didn’t do soft. I didn’t do sweet. I did strategy and I did survive.

At si Ingrid? She fits. She was fire, yes, but caged fire. Proud plus smart, but predictable when cornered. Hindi siya yung tipo na magtataksil habang nakangiti. Kung may sasabihin siya, diretso kaagad. Kung may lalabanan siya, ito ay harapan. She’d glare at me across a dinner table and tell me to go to hell before she ever tried to ruin me quietly. At least alam ko kung saan manggagaling ang suntok diba?

The next day, my phone buzzed.

Mother: “She signed.”

Of course, she did. What other option did she have? I stared at the P*F copy sent to my inbox. Her signature was neat. Sharp and bold at the start, then trailing off like a scream swallowed halfway through.

I knew that look in a name. That was the handwriting of a woman who just lost control over her life. Good. Mas madali para sa akin kung tanggap na niya ang larong pinasok niya. Pero may parte sa akin na parang may kumirot. Dahil alam ko rin 'yan, e. Alam ko kung paano ang pakiramdam na mapirmahan ang sarili mo sa hawlang hindi mo pinili.

I scrolled back up, eyes landing on the bold header:

MARRIAGE CONTRACT – LEONHARDT DIETRICH MORETTI & INGRID ALESSIA ROMANO

I closed the file, my jaw locked.

Later that night, I visited the Romano estate. I didn’t ask for permission. Pumasok ako na parang ako ang may-ari. At sa totoo lang, sa puntong ito, parang ganoon na nga.

Her father met me at the door, all politeness and fake tenderness. Her mother offered me wine I didn’t touch. Ingrid didn’t come down to greet me. She didn’t need to. I wasn’t here for greetings. I was here to remind everyone what was at stake.

“Two weeks,” I stated. “Engagement shoot muna kami. Then press announcement will follow.”

“And the wedding?” her father asked, eyes cautious.

“End of the quarter. Sakto pagkatapos ng team recognition and engagement.” He laughed, but it didn’t reach his eyes. We both knew this wasn’t about love. This was about leverage. The power. And the debt to collect. 'Yun lang naman ang pinunta ko ng personal.

Umalis akong hindi na talaga siya nakita. Hindi dahil ayokong makita siya. Kung hindi dahil baka makita ko ‘yung galit sa mata niya. O mas masahol, baka makita ko ‘yung sakit. At ‘pag nakita ko ‘yon, baka maalala ko kung paano din ako nawasak noon.

I drove through the city at midnight, windows down, and the cold wind slapping my face.

My phone buzzed again. A message from Ashlie. I didn’t open it. As expected. She always knew when to crawl out of the dark. Like clockwork.

Tinapon ko lang ang phone sa passenger seat at tumutok sa kalsada and gripped the steering wheel tighter. Hindi na ito tungkol sa nakaraan ko. Bahala na siya sa buhay niya.

Kay Ingrid na dapat ako nakatutok. She’s the last piece I need to keep this empire intact. She's not my partner. Also not my lover. Just a contract and I'll own her with that. But as I parked in my garage and killed the engine, one thought stayed and replayed. I just signed her into a cage. At ang mas malala? Pumasok ako sa kulungan na ‘yon kasama siya. Hindi ko sure if good sign ba 'to o bad sign.